Feral Scream Part 2

« Beast Wars: Transformers ep 45 »
Hi! I upgraded your cat.
"Feral Scream Part 2"
Production company	Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate	February 7, 1999
Written by	Jules Dennis
Directed by	Steve Sacks
Animation studio	Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity	Beast Wars continuity

Cheetor is behaving oddly after the accident, and a new Transmetal 2 creature is stalking both camps.

Synopsis

Optimus Primal checks on Cheetor, who is napping after he collapsed in front of the Maximals' current base, heavily damaged from the fight with the Predacons. After making sure Cheetor's okay, Primal has a discussion with Rattrap, mentioning that Cheetor has refused to use the CR chamber. Rattrap figures he wants to prove something, but Optimus is suspicious. He decides to discuss it with Cheetor in the morning, while Rattrap decides to take a little rat nap.

The JaAm proceeds to mutate Cheetor.

Cheetor doesn't sleep soundly, though. From the cat's chest, a strange appendage grows, and Cheetor has a nightmare of the other Maximals (sans Optimus Primal) wanting to see 'what makes him tick', and subsequently transforming him into an ugly, mutated monstrosity, to their disgust. Cheetor awakens, glad his dream was unreal, but finds himself caught in a green light expanding out of his spark.

Rattrap, awakened by the noise, heads to the lower level to see what's wrong. Before he reaches Cheetor's room, a large cat monster bursts out of it and knocks Rattrap over, then rushes away. Optimus Primal comes to help Rattrap, who (incorrectly) assumes that the big ugly monster has gotten Cheetor.

In the Predacon base, Megatron hears the roar of the roaming beast and checks the radar. He figures out that Cheetor has been upgraded, explaining who his nemesis from the most recent battle was. Waspinator is sent to capture the cat-bot.

See this? This is my unhappy face.

Silverbolt returns to the Maximals' base, having failed to locate Cheetor (and jealous of Blackarachnia's concern for the feline). Having already surmised what is going on, Optimus Primal confronts Depth Charge, and forces an account of the relevant events out of him. Depth Charge explains that Cheetor removed some device from the Predacon machine, but was caught in the overload. Depth Charge also says that he destroyed the Transmetal driver.

Dinobot II and Waspinator watch a train go by.

Awakening in a cave, Cheetor finds himself back in his usual Transmetal form again, completely repaired, but with fragmented, disturbing memories of what happened the previous night. Later, Dinobot and Waspinator find the cave, and after shredding Waspinator, Dinobot proceeds to hunt the Maximal. But inside the cave, he finds Cheetor has already left.

Optimus orders the Maximals to search for Cheetor in Grid Alpha Two, but Cheetor shows up outside the Maximal base. He tries to explain that he's taken care of "the monster". Optimus Primal, being less gullible than Cheetor is clever, indicates he wants Cheetor to take him to the creature's remains. Away from the other Maximals, Primal and Cheetor talk, but before Cheetor can admit the truth, Primal's chest is fried by Dinobot.

Why are teenagers so freaking cocky?

The emotional stress of Cheetor's concern tears the cat back into his Transmetal 2 form, and he easily blasts away Waspinator away. The two Transmetals 2 duel with each other, slashing each other in their beast modes. When Rattrap and Silverbolt arrive, Dinobot is smart enough to retreat.

Optimus reaches out to the feral Cheetor, coaxing him back to his senses. Back at the Maximal base, Cheetor tries to keep his cool while he flirts with Blackarachnia. Cheetor misinterprets her affection as something personal, when really she's more interested in his technology—and how she can get some of it for herself.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Predacons
Cheetor (1) Optimus Primal (2) Rattrap (3) Silverbolt (7) Rhinox (9) Depth Charge (10)	Dinobot (4) Waspinator (5) Megatron (6) Blackarachnia (8)

Quotes

"That meddling feline destroyed my machinery and improved himself in the process!"
"Mmm, improved." [pointedly looks at Dinobot]

—Megatron and Waspinator also discuss Cheetor.

"Any sign of our tabby?"
"Oh, not so much as a whisker. Your...concern does you credit."
"I'm full of surprises." [winks]

—Blackarachnia and Silverbolt also discuss—oh, you know.

"You listen, hardhead. Cheetor's gone, and I think you know something, so you will talk, or I will rip out your core processor and extract the information personally."

—Optimus Primal gets scary-mad at Depth Charge.

"Wait! Need plan! Waspinator in charge!"
"I am the plan."

—Waspinator and Dinobot, shortly before the former is shredded by the latter.

Cheetor: (Noticing Silverbolt and Rattrap looking at his new form) You lookin' at somethin'?!
[Silverbolt and Rattrap look at each other]
Rattrap: Oh, joy...cyber-puberty.

—Rebellious teen Transmetal 2 Cheetor seems to have quite an attitude.

Notes

Animation and technical errors

• During his fight with Cheetor, Dinobot's large plate that covers his beast-mode crotch seems to be moving and stretching together with his right leg.

Continuity errors

• The scratches that Cheetor inflicted on Megatron's chest plate in the previous episode have switched from his right side to his left side.

Real-world references

• In response to a threat from Dinobot II, Cheetor says, "I don't think so." While perhaps not an intentional reference, that was something of a catchphrase for Bob on Mainframe Entertainment's ReBoot. Ian James Corlett (Cheetor) voiced the character during its third and fourth seasons.
• There is a possible nod to the film Jurassic Park during Cheetor and Dinobot's fight. In the film velociraptors were said to be able to move at cheetah speeds. Apparently Cheetor felt that the scientific inaccuracy was an insult and thought he would prove the film makers wrong.

Trivia

• The contents of Cheetor's room:
  • A photo of himself and Primal from the first season.
  • A big trophy with a Predacon insignia on the base.
  • A model of solar system with haphazardly-orbiting planets.
  • What could possibly be a model of a Cybertronian city.
  • A photo of Blackarachnia.
  • A potted plant.
  • Three spare tail-clubs.
  • A miniature model of the Axalon.
  • A clock with a kind of holographic display to indicate the stages of a Solar cycle.
  • A model Douglas DC-3.
• During Cheetor's nightmare, after Blackarachnia says "it's hideous," Rattrap makes motions as though he's going to puke.
• Megatron's observation that Cheetor is moving at Mach 2 seems a bit absurd. Yes, turning Transmetal 2 is portrayed as one heck of an upgrade and Cheetor has a rocket on his back, but a quadruped running at that speed is still fairly ridiculous.
• Waspinator was able to find Cheetor, while Silverbolt didn't. So Waspinator is a better tracker than Silverbolt? More likely, Megatron's scan of Cheetor's "moonlight stroll" narrowed the search zone, whereas the Maximals had no information about his trajectory.
• Cybertronix
  • The text under Rattrap's monitors is mirrored at first, but doesn't say anything particularly notable.
  • Unsurprisingly, the text which flashes briefly on Megatron's monitor when he asks for magnification says "MAGNIFY".
• Waspinator has a sling when he tells Dinobot to "stand aside, Waspinator will take kitty-bot to Megatron." Apparently his arm was hurt just a little bit worse than the rest of him when Dinobot turned him into confetti.
• Optimal Optimus does two distinctive ape-like things when he transforms to beast mode. Namely scratching and showing interest in a bunch of bananas.
• Cheetor is able to almost completely dominate Dinobot in their fight, despite Dinobot's ability to take down both Depth Charge and Optimus Primal with little effort. Whether this is beast instincts or Cheetor is just that much stronger in his new form can be speculated upon.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Hurlement 2" (Canada, "Scream 2")

Italian

• Title: "Mille emozioni - Parte 2" ("Many Emotions - Part 2")

Japanese

• Title: "Tatsunda! Cheetus" (たつんだ! チータス, "Arise! Cheetus")
• Original airdate: February 2 2000

Portuguese

• Title: "Grito Animal Parte 2" ("Animal Scream Part 2")

Spanish

• Title: "La Llamada de la Naturaleza (Parte 2)" ("The Call of Nature (Part 2)")

• Title: "El Llamado de la Naturaleza Segunda Parte" (America, "The Call of Nature Second Part")

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

VHS

2000 — Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals — Yeah, I'm Back! (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Volume 2 (Universal)

DVD

2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
2004 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete Third Season (Rhinomation)
2005 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Vol. 2 (Universal)
2006 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 3 (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Beast Wars — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)